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Go Further, Draw Closer with Eli Hauber
What if the key to deeper connection isn't retreating into what's safe, but venturing further into the unknown? This conversation with Eli Hauber, founder of From Here to Human, explores a powerful paradox that could transform how we relate to ourselves and others.
Eli shares the origins of his "Go Further, Draw Closer" philosophy, born from profound experiences in Uganda where he found himself alone in villages that hadn't seen outsiders in decades. These moments of extreme vulnerability—stripped of comfort, connectivity, and familiarity—revealed something unexpected: our deepest connections often emerge when we're furthest from what we know.
At the heart of this approach are three guiding principles: being curiosity-fueled (using wonder as your compass), intention-guided (moving through the world with care and purpose), and boundary-defying (pushing past limitations that keep us isolated). Through vivid storytelling, Eli demonstrates how these principles have shaped his interactions across cultural divides and how they can be applied in everyday life—whether traveling abroad or simply choosing to stay and watch your child's practice instead of running errands.
What makes this conversation particularly compelling is its practical wisdom for addressing our epidemic of loneliness. Rather than grand gestures, Eli advocates for small, intentional steps toward connection—having an ice cream conversation, volunteering locally, or simply being present with those around you. Each choice leaves what he calls an "eternal imprint" on the people and places we touch.
As Eli prepares to launch Project RICH (Revealing Interconnection to Catalyze Harmony), he invites listeners to reconsider what truly connects us across our differences. In a world increasingly defined by division, this fresh perspective offers hope that by venturing beyond our comfort zones, we might discover the shared humanity that unites us all.
In a world where we can feel so isolated, going further, becoming closer with the world and with the people around us, and even with ourselves, allows us to put into perspective where we are in the world and how we are really just one people on a tiny rock floating in space. So when you think about it like that, it really puts into perspective of, like, what matters and what do I want out of the hundred years that I may have on this little rock, and how do I want to be remembered. And when we become closer with others, we really start to reflect on the impact that our choices and our decisions have on those lives, and so people who we would otherwise be divided with or disconnected from become part of this fabric of humanity that ties us all together because of the things we have in common.
John Hauber:Welcome to the Senior Housing Investors Podcast. If you are an owner operator, investor, developer or buyer of senior housing, you've come to the right place. The best way to stay connected with us is to sign up for our weekly newsletter at havenseniorinvestmentscom. This podcast doesn't exist without you, our community. Thank you for listening and reach out to us anytime.
Kelsie Heermans:Welcome back everyone. Today's guest is Eli Hauber, born and raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Eli is a student, world traveler, storyteller and the founder of From here to Human, a global movement amplifying the hopeful, unifying and inspiring untold stories of our world. Eli is passionate about helping others bridge cultural divides through honest conversation, photography and immersive experiences. Currently a student at UNC, chapel Hill, studying business and global studies, eli will spend his junior year abroad, in France, using that time to launch Project Rich short for Revealing Interconnection to Catalyze Harmony, a storytelling initiative grounded in the belief that highlighting our shared humanity can be the antidote to division.
Kelsie Heermans:Whether he's camping in the Sahara, our shared humanity can be the antidote to division. Whether he's camping in the Sahara, filming on the streets of Istanbul or swapping stories in Ugandan villages, eli lives by the idea that to truly understand others and ourselves, we must leave behind what's familiar and comfortable. His motto go further, draw closer. His motto Go Further, Draw Closer invites us to step into unfamiliar places, overlook stories and uncomfortable conversations to draw closer to the world and each other. John.
John Hauber:Thanks, Kelsie. Today we're unpacking a paradox how going further, not pulling back, might be the most powerful way to draw closer to others, to ourselves and to life itself. Today, my guest is Eli, and you've heard an overview of my son, and so welcome to the show, Eli hey thanks, dad, thanks for having me.
Eli Hauber:No problem so let's get into it. So, Eli, can you take us back to a moment or experience when the phrase going further to draw closer really is the culmination of my life experiences? So to pick one particular experience is a tough one, but I'm drawn to this particular moment during my summer last year, when I had the opportunity to travel to Uganda alone as an intern for an organization called All we Are that works to bring renewable, sustainable and affordable energy solutions to schools and healthcare clinics across rural parts of the country, and during my time off in air quotes, I decided to travel seven hours north to another town that had previously been very affected by civil war and conflict, and so I think that's kind of the first point that I want to make is that my assumptions and introduction to this place was that it was war-torn, dangerous, had a history of violence and destruction, and so I kind of took that step to go further than maybe my comfort zone would have told me or what my family members or people advising me would have said, to go there or not. And I just decided to do it, and out of that experience I was able to work at a school for a day and run this sort of leadership mentorship workshop at a high school in Gulu is the name of the town no-transcript. In some ways and other ways I couldn't, but I think engaging in that conversation or the multiple different conversations at that place allowed me to experience for the first time the becoming closer element after we go further, as we became closer to that place, to its people, to its history, that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to do.
Eli Hauber:And it wasn't just me who exemplified this philosophy or this paradox at this particular event, which was this Q&A meeting, one of the students who happened to be in the room his name I won't disclose for privacy reasons, but he was one of three students that came up to me after we were done talking and the Q&A session and workshop was over and he just continued to ask more and more questions.
Eli Hauber:He went further and he wanted to connect and to become closer with me and with who I was, what I was doing, and I, in return, got to become closer to who he was and what he wanted to do and through that just stepping into the unknown and stepping into connection with me and vice versa, me with him we were able to form this bond where we've been able to stay in contact. I've been able to support him in his own pursuits and dreams from a distance, and I will forever have a tie to that place, to its people and really to that memory, whether it influences the things that I do, moving forward for me or for him, I think is what makes all the differences. We now are brothers when we otherwise did would never have made that connection that's awesome.
John Hauber:You know, I love that story. Uh, you, you know, told it to me in the past, but, but it's a beautiful story. So how, growing closer to others, how does that make you feel?
Eli Hauber:It makes me feel connected and part of something bigger than myself. In a world where we can feel so isolated and alone and almost maybe fighting for ourselves alone and almost maybe fighting for ourselves, going further, becoming closer with the world and with the people around us, and even with ourselves, allows us to put into perspective where we are in the world and how we are really just one people on a tiny rock floating in space, oh yeah. So when you think about it like that, it really puts into perspective of like what matters and what do I want out of the hundred years that I may have on this little rock and how do I want to be remembered. And when we become closer with others, we really start to reflect on the impact that our choices and our decisions have on those lives. And all of a sudden, a stranger who would otherwise be insignificant in our lives, when we choose to go further into connection with that person, they become a brother, they become a sister, a grandma, grandpa, a mom or a dad that we wouldn't have otherwise had, and that person and their extended family and all their connections all of a sudden have a different significance in our heart and in our mind, and so people who we would otherwise be divided with or disconnected from, become part of this I like to call like a fabric of humanity that ties us all together.
Eli Hauber:Because of the things we have in common, like my relationship with the gentleman or the young man in Uganda. Our upbringing, our situations, our lifestyles couldn't be more different, Our skin color couldn't be more different, but it was this shared passion for making the world a better place and our shared Christianity that brought us together in that moment, and, rather than allowing myself to push away from him because of he wouldn't understand who I am or I wouldn't understand who he is, I decided to just step into that unknown and into that discomfort and that awkward conversation at first to see where it would go, and it turns out that it blossomed into something super beautiful, and so, really, I think it's that connection and sense of perspective of where we are in the world, and what really matters is, I think, how that going further makes me feel.
John Hauber:How is this mindset that you have, and you've had it for quite a while how's it shaped the way you live and move through the world in the past and now?
Eli Hauber:Yeah, yeah, that's a good question. I think I want to kind of give you three points, that kind of outline how that perspective I mean what that perspective actually is. What does it mean to go further and and draw closer? And how do we kind of live, how do I live that out in my life, and maybe how your viewers can do that for themselves. And so these are kind of the three points that I've identified that break down this philosophy or maybe way of life.
Eli Hauber:I don't know how the best way to describe it is, but the first way I would describe it is it's curiosity fueled, and so if we're able to have curiosity, be our compass in life and seek not to find answers but widen our understanding and perspective of the world, ourselves and others in it, to go further means to step into the unknown, like I've said, with wonder. So step into the unknown with wonder and lean into discomfort with courage. And so it's this. It's kind of this just approach to walking through life with open eyes and an open heart and an open mind to what may be uncomfortable or what we may believe to be wrong, but seeing it through the eyes of somebody else. And in that exchange and in that perspective we can begin to foster and find connection and humility with people who we otherwise might not have been able to do that if our mind was closed and our heart was closed as well. So that's point one. Curiosity fueled Second is going to be intention guided. In a world where it's always changing, always moving, headlines are short and often we consume in 15, 10, 15 segments. Going further to become closer or to draw closer means to move with care. To go further is really to walk with intention, to create, connect and explore in ways that uphold our own integrity, our own values, what we believe and hold to be true, while still being able to honor the lives of others, so that we can leave this earth knowing that we left a positive, eternal imprint on the lives and places, that we can leave this earth knowing that we left the positive eternal imprint on the lives and places that we touch. And so in previous conversations and presentations I've given across the country, I talk about this idea of every choice, every word, every action that we choose to make, say or do leaves this eternal imprint on the places and people that we touch or come into contact with throughout our lives. And if we can be curiosity fueled and intention guided in our life. I can almost guarantee you that you will leave a positive imprint that you, your loved ones and the people you look up to will be proud of when you leave the world. And that is, in a nutshell, how we can make the world a better place at a very individual scale Just having the mindset of how can I leave a positive imprint on the lives in the landscapes that I touch. So intention guided number two.
Eli Hauber:And then finally, number three boundary defying. I think everyone knows that boundaries shape our reality. They define how we see, how we feel, how we connect with the world. To go further is to push past our own boundaries and open ourselves up to the world that's waiting to be discovered on the other side. That can be something as simple as a fence dividing you and your neighbor. That can be a boundary in your life that may prevent you from connecting with your neighbor, but you can go around that fence and knock on their front door and connect with them that way.
Eli Hauber:It may be a fear that you grew up with or something in your childhood that's preventing you from connecting with a family member or a parent or a teacher or someone in your life that may have put up boundaries to prevent you from going further, and so defying boundaries is defying expectations, defying those borders that people have put up to keep us apart, and if we're able to go beyond that and transcend those boundaries, we can become closer by going further. So those are my three points Curiosity-fueled, intention-guided and boundary-defying is what it means to go further.
John Hauber:That's awesome, as you know, and we're going to get a little vulnerable here. I'm going to ask you a question here, and that is there's always yin and yang in the world, right, there's evil and there's good, and so how is growing your external reach aimed at the expense of your own inner peace and closeness?
Eli Hauber:Yeah, yeah, another good question. I think I want to flip the question on itself and kind of go back to what I said earlier about how going further to draw closer isn't just drawing't become closer with the world and with others. You actually experience that isolation and that loneliness that I said can happen if we choose not to become closer with the world and with others. And so when you asked me previously about how does it make me feel to become closer, to draw closer, I said it makes me feel connected and it makes me, it gives me this perspective of the world in which I live in, and that gratitude and perspective allows me to kind of discover my own place in the world and draw closer to myself.
Eli Hauber:And so I feel that actually going through this exercise and going out into the world whether that's your own neighborhood, your state, your country, other countries, another continent actually allows you to find your own inner peace, because it allows you to see how you're connected to so much more than just what you've been able to see in your world thus far.
Eli Hauber:You're connected to people who don't speak the same language. You're connected to people who practice different religions, who work in different yogs, who believe different things vote for different people, and so it's that knowing that there's so much more, that's bigger than ourselves, that actually allows us to have the humility and perspective of humanity that makes us feel like we're not alone. And so that's where I find peace is that I can go anywhere in the world, and laughter can be a language that every single person can speak. We all want to be loved and love somebody else, and so it's those things that keep us together, despite all of the differences that are seemingly tearing us apart in the world right now. So I don't know how well that answers your question, but I actually think that going through all this helps me maintain my inner peace and helps me find myself, rather than me having to go and do something extra to maintain who I am and my peace because I'm doing all of this extra stuff.
John Hauber:That's a great answer, eli, and one of the areas I was getting to is moving you toward more vulnerability in regards to your story, and that is that, as we get closer to people, we, to feel a connection to others, requires us to be vulnerable, and so why do you think distance physically, emotionally or otherwise can sometimes be what actually helps us connect more deeply?
Eli Hauber:I think it's the lack of distance that helps us connect more deeply, not distance itself. So it's shrinking the gap between people, between places, and actually experiencing it for ourselves, rather than seeing it through the television or Facebook or Instagram or LinkedIn with that place, with whatever it is, at a deeper level, and be able to form an opinion for ourselves based on how we feel when we actually drop ourselves into that place or with that person.
John Hauber:Let's go to the area I want to go to. Okay, so you were in Uganda and you were there for a month serving the individuals in some of the poorest villages and one of the richest schools in Uganda. And, in your experience, how does leaving the familiar help us see others in ourselves more clearly? So, for example, you went to Uganda, you left the familiar, yep, you went into the unfamiliar. And then you even went more into the unfamiliar by having to be with yourself and thinking, oh my God, what have I done? Right, you remember that instance.
Eli Hauber:Yeah, yeah, I traveled to Uganda by myself and that experience of seeing, smelling, hearing, feeling the things that I was for the first time, and I was traveling and spending nights in villages that hadn't seen a white man in 40, 50 years, and so that sense of isolation where, going back to this idea of an eternal imprint, you feel or I guess I felt such a profound pressure on my shoulders to do say all of the right things because I was essentially representing every single person that ever looked like me, past, present or future perhaps. And so stepping into an environment like that, where I was experiencing that that feeling and that overwhelming pressure for the first time, and so I didn't necessarily know how to deal with it, and when I would go back to my accommodations in the afternoon, I, with no Wi-Fi, no connection, no internet, no anything, just me and my thoughts, laying in a bed all alone, I think is the epitome in my life of going further, is I was about as far as I could get into discomfort and into the unknown that I nearly, like nearly broke, and that's not healthy by any means, and I would not encourage any of the listeners to take yourself to that point where you literally don't know what to do because there's so much around you that you can't possibly begin to understand or comprehend, and all you want to do is help alleviate the suffering of those people in that place. And so that's not the agenda that I'm trying to push is getting you to that point. And so that's not the agenda that I'm trying to push is getting you to that point. It's just the idea of taking this super small, simple steps to just become closer with maybe even the people in your own house first, and then extend it to the community. Volunteer once a week is even going further, to become closer with the people who even just live in your own community.
Eli Hauber:And so, going back to my experience, I think that time hours, every single day, that I had to just sit and think, I think it was the most chaotic form of meditation I could have ever experienced, because there's this longing sense and like nagging sense of just wanting to do something while also feeling so incredibly helpless at the same time. And so being in that environment with that mindset and that state of mind forced me to lean on the support of others rather than just going through life counting on myself. I had to again be vulnerable and say I need your help. Can you help me with this? I need directions here. How do I get food? Can you point me in the right direction?
Eli Hauber:I couldn't do it all, and so leaning on others allowed me to realize that we're not alone in the world, and there are people all around us who are experiencing the exact same thing, and sometimes all they need is someone to help them, and when someone helps them, they in turn want to help someone else.
Eli Hauber:And that's where I feel, then, that kind of desire, and so it's not a one-way street, like when you need help. There will be people there to help you, because people were there to help them. But for people to be there to help them, you have to be that person as well, and so it's a matter of giving everything you have to others and expecting nothing in return, and by doing so, we all or you as the person giving everything gets to enjoy the success and the triumph and joy of others for the rest of your life, and if you're able to live in that way and inspire others to do the same, the karma will come back to you, because you're not expecting it in ways that you couldn't even imagine. So I think that's how I drew closer to myself was knowing that I couldn't do everything and I wasn't a superhero, and in my life I need other people to help me get to where I want to go.
John Hauber:Yeah, thank you for being vulnerable. I mean that was one time in your life that you really you were alone. I mean you felt alone. So that segues into what we face throughout the world, I think, and more in America, and that is we have an epidemic of loneliness. So what advice would you give to someone who's afraid to take that step away from what's familiar and sometimes just being in your house alone all the time is familiar, right?
Eli Hauber:Right.
John Hauber:Not getting out and volunteering or not. What would you recommend?
Eli Hauber:Yeah, I think I kind of previously mentioned like you don't have to do huge, massive trips around the world In order to become closer with the world.
Eli Hauber:You can do something as simple as something your community, you could.
Eli Hauber:I mean just just an idea that pops into my head is like if you have kids, instead of dropping them off at practice and going to run errands, stay at practice, watch practice, let your kids see that you want to become closer to them and to what they love and in turn you can draw closer to them.
Eli Hauber:And so it doesn't have to be some like massive grand gesture where you're going to the other side of the world and given your time to do this Q&A session with 70 kids. It can be something as simple as just taking your kid to ice cream or saying yes to McDonald's on the way home. This small gesture of just not only your own gratitude for them in your life, but just to sit at a table where every single person is happy and have a conversation because everyone's in a good mood, and just seeing where that goes and being curious and having it be with intention obviously, like go into it with an intention to draw closer to whoever you get to share that meal with. And then I think just by saying yes to mcdonald's you're gonna make your kids think they're defying boundaries.
John Hauber:So yeah, that segues into great. What are? You know, what are the habits, practices, mindset shifts that help you keep living out this idea.
Eli Hauber:Yeah, I think a lot of it is encapsulated in my three goals for myself. I know Kelsey mentioned that I'm going to be going to France and all over Europe next year, as probably next year maybe, and probably by the time you're listening to this it's going to be I'll probably already be over there. I'll be leaving in a few days, but I'll be spending a year over in France studying, and so kind of going back to this intention thing is like what are my intentions for that experience and how do I want to make the most of that experience? And so, in addition to this whole idea of being fueled by curiosity and the things we've already talked about in relation to that, I kind of just want to give my own, like you said, habits. I think habits can form around these goals, to not only like achieve them by the end of my year when I get back on that plane home, but also every single night when I go to bed and I can say that was a good day because I achieved these three goals or I made progress towards these three goals. And so maybe for, if you're listening, the first step towards creating habits to live this way of going further, to draw closer is just setting goals for yourself every day, that kind of. They don't have to mirror this philosophy, but I think that they should be in somewhat aligned with, again, being intention driven. The goals should kind of align with this idea of wanting to draw closer to the people in your life and the places that you go. So here are my three goals for this crazy adventure that I'm about to go on.
Eli Hauber:Number one lean into learning. This is regardless of the capacity, the setting or the teacher. Again, I want to allow curiosity to take the wheel, guiding me away from the familiar and towards a richer understanding of the world and my place in it. And so this can be like learning in the classroom, as I actually will be studying while I'm studying abroad, even though it's only two days a week, but this could be in the streets of Paris, taking the extra step to try to translate a sign in my head rather than just pulling out my phone using Google Translate. And so lean into that learning in everything we do and leaving it open-ended, like having these open-ending goals, where it's so broad, allows you to achieve these goals in little bits rather than having to work towards something massive, or if you get onto the plane or you go home at the end of the day, or December 31st comes and you haven't done it and it's just like lose X amount of pounds, then it seems like a failure. But if you phrase it like this, then you can kind of take actionable steps each day to just feeling fulfilled.
Eli Hauber:Number two and this is literally like the philosophy in of itself, so this is just a personal thing, this doesn't have to be for you, but literally go further, draw closer, and the way that I phrase this is just venture off the beaten path, beyond my comfort zone and into the lesser known, end up or wherever I end up, open my heart and mind to all the unexpected and invaluable gifts I'm set to receive and then return, give all I have, drawing closer to the places I go and the people I meet and the person I'm slowly becoming.
Eli Hauber:So again, I think I'm just reiterating what I've been preaching for the last couple minutes, but that's another goal that I kind of just want to live out in everything I do. And then, finally, the sense of just staying true to who I am and keeping my inner peace. My third goal is to live free and true, Say yes, go all in, take risks and exist in the middle, soar above the clouds and bring others along for the ride, and all you do stay true to you, remain grounded in integrity, love unconditionally, dream fearlessly and be the light. So I think setting those goals for yourself and creating habits that align with those goals can start to become a pathway towards this drawing closer idea.
John Hauber:So we're going to zoom out real quick on universal truths and implications. So if everyone adopted this mindset, how would the world be different? Eli?
Eli Hauber:I mean, that's kind of like saying what will the world be like in 10 years with the emergence of AI?
Eli Hauber:Like, no one truly knows.
Eli Hauber:I certainly don't know, but I wouldn't be on a podcast or creating some type of movement or brand surrounded around this idea if I didn't think that it would be something positive or a better world for all.
Eli Hauber:And so something that really built into the framework of this idea is that it's in these further places, wherever that may be, where harmony can be found and forged between people, between countries, between nations, and if we're able to be curiosity-fueled, intention-guided and boundary-defying, we can find ourselves still in our own life, in our own body, but feeling more connected to a world that has greater compassion and is fueled by love and kindness and generosity and gratitude, and truly feels like this place of harmony rather than violence and division and hate and evil.
Eli Hauber:And so that's kind of what I believe is that if we're able to live out this type of philosophy like truly implement it in so many different places in our entire life which is way easier said than done, like I'm not far from perfect, everyone is imperfect and it's challenging in different places of every single person's life, people have different traumas and different experiences, but I think if we're able to push ourselves to just implement this a little bit each day, we're slowly going to begin to inspire others to do the same, and that's where kind of the ripple effect, or this contagiousness of this idea, can really spread like wildfire.
John Hauber:This idea can really spread like wildfire. It is amazing, Eli, what a great philosophy. You and I are both Christians and it comes from you know the first two commandments that Jesus said was most important. Love God with your whole heart, your whole mind, your whole soul, and love your neighbor as yourself. And so thank you so much, Eli, for being on the show. How do listeners connect with you? And let's put a plug in for your new movement and what that's called and where's that located and give us a preview of that if it's not ready to be released, but if you're ready to release, kind of where that is?
Eli Hauber:Yeah, of course. Thank you for the opportunity to get the word out. I did the time that you're listening to this. I probably launched a couple weeks ago. It's fairly new, but you can find me on Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn with just my name, Eli Hauber. That's H-A-U-B-E-R, and then you can also find my work and on my website it's fromheretohuman. com Again fromheretohuman. com, and so you can find that account again on Instagram and Facebook. Find that account again on Instagram and Facebook, and if you're interested in this message, in what I'm saying and what we're talking about here today, I encourage you to check us out and to see or I guess, check me out.
Eli Hauber:I'm a one man crew right now, but as I kind of take this next step over into the other side of the world, I want to give tangible things that people can see and read and watch, that are living examples of what I'm talking about right now, what it means to go further, and so my first big project under this umbrella brand called precarious human, I'm doing a project called rich, and it's an acronym for revealing interconnection to catalyze harmony, and so it's pretty much exactly what we've been talking about today.
Eli Hauber:It'll be a lot of conversations with strangers on the streets and people that I meet throughout my trip, to try to identify those strings that tie humanity together, so that we can now see what we had in common with people we would otherwise think were nothing alike to begin to come together and unite for good and to build a world that has a foundation of harmony.
Eli Hauber:So again, Project Rich, revealing Interconnection to Catalyze Harmony. I'll be doing a lot of stuff with that and a variety of different content On my website. I'll be keeping a blog, so talking about my experiences and what I'm finding in a little bit more of a long form style, rather than Instagram and Facebook, real short one minute videos and then, if you're listening to this and you're interested even more in what I'm doing, on my website you'll find a work with us tab and you can fill in your information and shoot me a message to see how we might be able to collaborate if you share the same belief or want to work towards a common goal. So those are the things that those are the ways that you can connect with me.
John Hauber:Eli, thank you for being on the show. I love you and have safe travels in Europe and to go change the world bud.
Eli Hauber:Thanks, and I leave your viewers with with one quote Just sign off, thank you. Yeah, so this is kind of a quote that again inspired a lot of this and this perspective and this new brand that I'm building, and it's from the book the Life of Walter Mitty and there was a movie made after it, and so it's really talking about the purpose of life and finding your purpose and what that means. And so this is the quote. It is See the world, things dangerous to come to, the seed behind walls. Draw closer to find each other and to feel that may feel dangerous to come to and look behind the boundaries of the walls that are holding you back or dividing you from those dangerous things and to draw closer to that, to find what exists on the other side and to truly feel it and to feel connected to whatever it may be.
John Hauber:So, thank you, Awesome bud, have a great day. Listeners, reach out to my son, Eli. He is an amazing soul and until next time.
